Murder Disabled
by Sarge1
Summary: The team is helped by a very unlikely source to capture a sinister killer bent of “cleansing” the world of all people he considers useless. JJCentric, but the entire team is involved.
1. Wheels Up

Title: Murder Disabled

Author: Sarge1

Rating: T

Summary: The team is helped by a very unlikely source to capture a sinister killer bent of "cleansing" the world of all people he considers useless. JJCentric, but the entire team is involved.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Criminal Minds peeps. (If I did, I'd give JJ more to do…) I'm just playing with them.

Author's Note: **WARNING** – This story deals with a bit of a touchy subject as far as who the murder victims are. It's not meant to offend anyone and I apologize beforehand if it does.

---

CHAPTER 1

"Jamie, you're early," Victoria Locke called from the kitchen when she heard her front door open. She side stepped around the island in the middle of the room, counting her steps as she went, and started moving toward the living room. "I wasn't expecting you until three." There was a pause and then silence. "Jamie?"

A low growl came from her left and Victoria turned her head towards the noise, her sightless eyes instinctively turning in the same direction. "What is it, Rigley?" she asked with an air of nervousness in her voice. Her dog, Rigley, never growled. Ever. As a guide dog, he was trained not to. And the fact that he _was_ growling meant something was seriously wrong. She swallowed hard.

She felt the German Shepherd brush up against her, but before she could reach down to touch him, he was gone. She frowned and reached for the wall, trailing her fingers along it as she felt her way into the living room. "Jamie?" she tentatively called out again.

She felt a shift in the air and then a deep voice suddenly rasped in her ear, "Not Jamie."

She had no time to scream.

---

"Twelve murders in the last four months. A couple Denver, a family of four in Boulder, a woman in Wiley, a college student in Fort Collins, a family of three Leadville, and a man Kit Carson."

Morgan leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms and frowning slightly. "So what's the connection besides the fact that they're all locations in Colorado?" he questioned. "You've got to admit that it's a little spread out even for being in one state."

"And culture and age don't seem to be a factor," Emily pointed out. "We've got white, African American, Hispanic; ages ranging from small children to the near-elderly…"

"That's what the Colorado Bureau of Investigation thought until two elements continued to show up at every scene," Hotch stated before glancing at JJ.

The blonde caught his look and pressed the projector remote, switching to the next slide. "At every scene there was this symbol carved into the left temple of a victim," she expounded, showing them a symbol of what looked somewhat like a sloppy lowercase M.

Emily raised an eyebrow. "An M?"

"Or something else," Hotch said.

Garcia decided to chime in. "It kinda looks like my version of a bird." Everyone looked at her in a perplexed manner. "Ya know, when you're drawing a setting sun or something and you put those distant birds flying in the sky?" There were a few blinks around the room. "You draw the script-y M thing? ...As a bird? Anyone?"

"Oh yeah, I know what you mean, baby girl," Morgan replied with a smile. "I think I used to draw birds like that when I was like seven."

"I don't think it's a bird," Reid suddenly interrupted, speaking for the first time since the beginning of the briefing. With everyone's attention on him, he continued, "It's an extremely common structure in Western ideography. It can mean different things depending on which direction it's facing. For example, if the points are facing to the left, it can be a three or if the points are facing upward, it can–"

"Be a W?" Morgan cut in, an amused look on his face.

Reid frowned slightly, saying, "Well, yes, I suppose, but I was going to say it is sometimes used in meteorological systems as a sign for certain types of clouds."

"And if the points are facing downward?" Hotch prodded the young genius.

"Well, in ancient alchemy it was a symbol for fire," he stated. "The… 'Golden Arches' of the McDonalds sign is actually a modern day reflection of this meaning of the symbol."

There was a pause as everyone pondered what it could mean, but then after a few moments, Emily spoke up again.

"You said that there were two elements that continued to show up at every crime scene," the brunette said, "What was the second one?"

JJ glanced quickly at Hotch before swallowing in a bitter manner and replying, "The second one was that every victim that has had this symbol carved into them has had some sort of a disability."

"Disability?" Morgan questioned, his face readopting his earlier frown.

The young blonde woman stared downward for a brief second. "Yes, disability… As in anything from Down Syndrome to Multiple Sclerosis, and so on…"

"Damn," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "This is seriously one sick son of a bitch…"

"Exactly," Hotch replied stoically. "And that's why we're headed to Colorado." He stood, collecting the files in front of him. "Wheels up in forty minutes."

TO BE CONTINUED!

---

(A/N: Ok, this bit wasn't very JJCentric, but it will be in later chapters, which, I promise, will be longer than this one!

OH!! Also, for those who have read and reviewed what I've written so far of my other CM story, _Crash and Burn_, fear not, I AM still working on that one. My computer crashed --and burned. Haha. Wow, I'm a dork.-- and I haven't had the money to get it fixed yet. --I'm on a borrowed comp at the moment.-- Yes, I could have just written up something on this one, but I had already finished the third chapter and started the fourth, and I just can't seem to rewrite it like I had it. Sooo, there will be future chapters of _Crash and Burn_ ASAP, I promise! Don't give up on me!

And yes, remember to CLICKY CLICKY!! Reviews are like chocolate -essential for life.)


	2. Missing Dog

Title: Murder Disabled

Author: Sarge1

Rating: T

Summary: The team is helped by a very unlikely source to capture a sinister killer bent of "cleansing" the world of all people he considers useless. JJCentric, but the entire team is involved.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Criminal Minds peeps. (If I did, I'd give JJ more to do…) I'm just playing with them.

---

**Author's Notes**: Before we continue the story, I'd like to give special, individual shout outs to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. I really appreciate all the encouragement!

_withoutatacegirl_ – I'm glad there are other JJ lovers out there! She's definitely my favorite character, too!

_Angelus-Summers_ – Thanks! Here's the next chapter for ya!

_Vince_ – Thanks Vince! I have this awesome friend who actually came up with the title. I totally should have given him a special thanks for it at the beginning of chapter 1, but my brain was totally fried from lack of sleep. Hehehe! –poke in the eye-

_Jamily_ – I'm always so worried that I'm never gonna get the characters written correctly! Thanks for the encouragement, and I LUH LOO, TOO! –huggles-

_Mellow girl_ – Thank you! I don't even remember how I got the idea for the unsub. I guess my mind is just totally warped! LOL! I'm doing my best to write it all in a very respectful, but still true-to-_Criminal_-_Minds_ way.

_Babeh(insert squiggle that doesn't show up!)Shan_ – JJ totally _is_ the best! Thanks for the review!

_Ryuzaki_ – LOL! Yes, Master! Here's your update! –hugs- :-D

---

CHAPTER 2

"Ya know, I'm feelin' the need to repeat my earlier statement," Morgan said as he sat back in his seat on the jet and flipped through crime scene photos.

"Which one?" Emily asked a tad distractedly, although she was sure she knew which one he was referring to.

"The one about this guy being a sick–"

"Son of a bitch?" The woman nodded. "Yeah, I figured that was the one."

Morgan clenched his jaw angrily as each photo got progressively darker, taking his mood right with it. "The Collier family was killed at their own dinner table. Just shot while they were eating."

"It was similar for the Harris family, except it looks like the youngest made a run for it," JJ said in a detached sort of tone. "She almost made it out of the backyard before she was shot in the back." She put down the photo of the child, unable to look at it anymore. "She was only six."

There was a noticeable heaviness in the air. They had all seen their share of horrible crimes, but this was definitely one of the worst.

"Bastard even kills the animals," Morgan pointed out, holding up a picture of a dead Golden Retriever from the murders in Boulder.

"Not all the animals," Reid stated slowly after a moment. "Only dogs." He pushed a photo of another dead dog from the murder in Fort Collins across the table. "Notice the cat in the top corner of the picture."

Morgan gave him a look. "Cats are sneaky. It could have been hiding."

"True," Reid agreed before handing over another picture from the same crime scene, "But an African Grey Parrot in a cage can't hide."

"So why kill the dogs, but not the rest of the animals?"

"Dogs present the most threat?" Emily suggested. "They'll protect their owners."

The man just nodded, accepting that as the answer for now. It would likely change as the case progressed as things were rarely that simple, but there really was no telling. Whatever the case, it was doubtful that anyone would like it.

---

The moment they were off of a jet in Denver, they were met by two agents from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. "I'm Agent Allen Barkman and this is Agent Marie Demel," the first one, a tall man with sandy hair introduced as he extended his hand.

"Agent Jareau," JJ immediately replied, shaking his hand and then Agent Demel's. "We spoke on the phone. This is Agent Hotchner, Morgan, Prentiss, and Reid."

"We really appreciate you coming," Marie stated as everyone shook hands, "And I hate to rush things, but there's been a report of another murder in a small town called Walden about two hours from here. They're waiting for us."

Hotch nodded. "Lead the way." He wanted to get to work immediately.

Everyone piled into the two SUVs assigned to them and followed the sedan Demel was leading the way in.

"What more can you tell us?" Hotch asked Barkman, who was driving him, JJ, and Reid in the first SUV. Morgan was driving the second with Emily.

The detective rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, from what we can tell, this guy's violence is escalating along with the frequency of his attacks. If this homicide in Walden is this bastard, it'll be his second in the past three weeks."

"We picked up on that as well," Hotch informed the man.

"His escalation could be a sign that the thrill of the kill isn't lasting as long as it used to and until he's stopped, it's likely that they will continue to become more frequent and more violent," Reid piped up from the backseat.

Barkman shook his head in disgust, not liking the sound of that at all. "We thought at first that his choice of victims might have had to do with a warped sense of mercy, but now we're not so sure. Do you have any theories on why he's targeting…well, people with disabilities?" he asked.

"This seems too violent to be mercy killings," JJ commented thoughtfully, glancing at Reid.

The younger man nodded in agreement. "Generally mercy killings are performed in the least painful way the killer can think of. Injections, smothering…" he explained. "They also tend to be a bit more organized. These murders are more erratic. He goes in and just starts shooting, and he's not just killing the person with disabilities. He kills everyone in the house."

JJ sucked in a quiet breath, adding, "And hunts down those who try to get away." She was referring to the Harris child who had been shot in the back while trying to flee.

"So this guy has something against people with disabilities _and_ their families. Why?" Barkman asked.

"There is any number of possibilities," Hotch stated. "He could have had an abusive family member who possibly had some sort of disability or grew up with prejudice toward disabled people instilled in him. Maybe he himself has some sort of disability that he despises. It all depends." He looked over his shoulder at JJ and Reid for a moment before looking back down at the file in his lap. "Seeing the crime scene might help us determine that."

Allen nodded and pressed his foot down on the gas.

---

Sirens on and severely breaking the speed limit, the three vehicles arrived in Walden and at the crime scene in less than half the time it should have taken them to get there. Despite the fact that Walden was a small town with a population under 800 people, the front of Victoria's Locke home was swarming with media and others spectators.

"Reid with me," Hotch said as they all climbed out of the SUV and then waited for Morgan and Prentiss to walk over before speaking again. "JJ and Prentiss, I want you to deal with the media. Scout around. See if we have any witnesses. You know the drill."

The two women nodded and headed off toward the "circus".

Once Agent Demel had joined them, the rest of them went under the crime scene tape and headed inside the house. They were met by a Sheriff Butler as soon as they stepped in the door.

"What have we got?" Hotch immediately asked.

"Victoria Locke. Twenty-seven, single, writer for the local paper, and according to her best friend, was well-liked by everyone," Sheriff Butler read off his the pad he had written it all down on. "She had no enemies to speak of."

Hotch looked around the room, eyes taking in every detail of the crime scene. "What was her disability?"

Butler frowned slightly. "Excuse me?"

"Her disability," he repeated.

"We were told that this was a case similar to the others we've come here to investigate," Morgan stated. "At least one victim at every scene has had some sort of disability." He opened his mouth to explain further, but was cut off by Reid.

"She was blind," the younger man said. When the others looked at him, he continued, "Look at the layout of the furniture. Everything is put in places that would be most advantageous for someone who can't see. There's an open book on the side table that's written in brail. And there's also a guide dog harness on the hook near the front door and a folded up walking stick beside her purse on the door-side table."

Butler looked a little bit flustered. "Yes, she was blind." It was a small town and this was someone that he knew personally. It was hard for him to keep his objectivity when a good friend of his had just been butchered, but he was trying.

"Who found her?" Hotch asked as he approached Victoria Locke's body. She was laying spread out on the kitchen floor, blood strewn about everywhere.

"Jamie Clancy," Butler replied, stopping at the archway between the kitchen and living room. "Victoria's best friend. She stopped by every Tuesday, Thursday, and most Sundays to take Torri out grocery shopping and whatnot."

Hotch glanced at the man before he crouched beside the body. "And where is she now?" He used his pen to carefully push some hair back from Locke's face so he could get a look at her left temple. As expected, the same symbol had been carved there.

"Outside," the sheriff replied. "When we arrived, she was sitting in the front yard hyperventilating and having a severe asthma attack, so she should still be with the ambulance."

With a nod, Hotch snapped open his phone and speed-dialed Emily. "Victim was found by a Jamie Clancy. Sheriff says she should be with the ambulance. Get a statement." When he got confirmation, he hung up again and continued his hands-off examination of Victoria Locke.

Reid scratched the side of his neck. "Those aren't bullet wounds," he pointed out.

Morgan nodded in agreement. "They look more like stab wounds, but…" he moved to the wall across the kitchen and pointed to four bullet holes in the wall, "he did shoot at something."

"Maybe he ran out of bullets," Butler suggested, the words leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. "He had to improvise." He motioned toward the knife wrack that had been knocked over, most likely in some sort of struggle. The knives were spread haphazardly across the kitchen island.

Morgan shook his head, taking a closer look at the bullet holes. "No, this killer is always prepared. He doesn't run out of bullets, especially when there's only one victim."

Barkman, who had been remaining silent throughout the entire time, finally spoke up, directing what he was saying to Sheriff Butler. "This killer has murdered entire families. He didn't run out of bullets then. It's highly unlikely that he would this time. And I mean, no disrespect to the victim, but how hard would it be to shoot a blind woman?"

Butler's jaw clenched, obvious anger flashing through his eyes.

"So, why the change in MO?" Demel asked.

"Maybe he had to," Reid suddenly said, crouching where he was standing.

"Whatcha got, Reid?" Morgan asked, moving over to the younger man.

Spencer motioned to portion of blood spatter on the floor. "Notice the pattern?"

The man nodded. "Yeah, yeah, the droplets are splattered in every other which way at a relatively high velocity, almost as if the source had be violently shaken. And then judging by the tails, they move towards Victoria." There was a pause and then Morgan glanced back at the bullet holes. "The dog."

Hotch looked up. "The dog bit him."

Morgan nodded and the motioned back toward the bullet holes. "Look how low the holes are. He was trying to shoot the dog first, but it bit him, maybe even wrestled the gun from him." He moved toward the kitchen island, being careful where he stepped. "Victoria was going for the knives so he forgets the gun and wrestles her to the ground, stabbing her instead of shooting."

There was a long pause and then Reid suddenly asked the obvious question. "Then where's the dog?"

TO BE CONTINUED!

---

(A/N: Ok, again, a little lacking in the JJCentricness, but I WILL get there! PROMISE! Hope you found this chapter a teeny bit more interesting than the first. At least it was longer, right? Haha! Anyway, remember to CLICKY CLICKY! Reviews are love!)


	3. Found Him!

Title: Murder Disabled

Author: Sarge1

Rating: T

Summary: The team is helped by a very unlikely source to capture a sinister killer bent of "cleansing" the world of all people he considers useless. JJCentric, but the entire team is involved.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Criminal Minds peeps. (If I did, I'd give JJ more to do…) I'm just playing with them.

---

**Author's Notes**: It's that time again! Shout outs to reviewers!

_Mellow girl_ – Thanks for the review! I tend to have a bit of a twisted mind hence the sick unsub, haha.

_Ryuzaki_ – Thanks for keeping up with the story! It means a lot! -hugs-

_Angelus-Summers_ – I'm pluggin' along! Here's your next chapter! JJness very soon to come, PROMISE!

_Miss Waffles_ – Thanks for the awesome review! I'm glad you're hooked, and I assure you that there will be a lot of JJness in upcoming chapters. I just have to build up to it, just like you said!

_withoutatacegirl_ – Thanks! And here's the next one!

_wavscaper_ – Fear not, my awesome _Crash and Burn_ fan! It SHALL be finished! I have a friend working on the broken computer as we speak. Hopefully we'll have more up within the next week. CROSS YOUR FINGERS! If not, I'm going to take the computer to a specialist and beat them with dead fish until they get the story off of my computer! And thanks for reading this one too! It'll get better. I'm just working up to the action!

_Jamily_ – If there's a dog in a story, there has to be biting! Hehehehe! Thank you for being a faithful reviewer. You're the best! I.L.L.2.!!!!

tearbos – YAY, you see it as unique! I was totally going for that. :-P haha!

_Vince_ – Not QUITE Lassie. ROFL! There's no little Timmy to pull out of a well, but he will come in handy later! And don't worry, Jamie, Barkman, and Demel will stick around!

---

CHAPTER 3

"Jamie?" Emily asked tentatively as she made her way over to the ambulance where a short young woman with auburn hair and stunningly blue eyes was sitting, holding an oxygen mask in one hand and a wad of tissues in the other. When their eyes met, Prentiss gave her a small smile and gently said, "Hi, my name is Emily. I'm from the FBI. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?"

Jamie let out a hiccupped sob and then shook her head, wiping her eyes for probably the hundredth time.

Emily smiled again and took a seat next to her on the back of the ambulance. "I was told that you were the one who found Victoria."

The woman nodded. "I was coming to pick her up," she choked out. "We were going to go to the grocery store and then check the bookstore to see if her shipment of books had come in yet." She sniffled. "I always took Torri to the grocery store on Tuesday and then helped her organize everything once we got back to the house." She looked Emily in the eye. "How could this happen?" she cried. "Torri is…_was_ the sweetest person on the planet. Why would someone kill her?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Emily told her softly. "I know this is hard, but could you tell me exactly what happened when you found her?"

The young woman explained that she arrived at three, the time she had agreed to pick Victoria up. The door had been unlocked like usual as it was a small town and you rarely had to worry about break-ins or anything of the sort. She had announced herself so not to startle the blind woman, but there had been no reply. And then when she ventured further into the house, she found her best friend lying in a huge pool of blood, dead.

"I tried to go over and check her pulse," Jamie sobbed, "B-but there was just too much blood. Too much blood. It was everywhere." She sounded as if she were beginning to hyperventilate again. "I-I-I had to get out of there. I just couldn't–I couldn't–"

"It's ok, Jamie," Emily soothed, reaching over and rubbing the woman's back. "Just take some deep breaths for me, ok? Deep breaths."

Weakly nodding, Jamie raised the oxygen mask back to her face and tried to slow her breathing down. Tears were streaming down her face and her sobs weren't helping her at all.

"That's better," Emily continued, "In and out." She waited until Jamie had calmed down a bit more before asking, "You called 911?" The woman nodded in confirmation and then explained that pretty much everything else was all a blur. Emily smiled at her again and gave her free hand a gentle squeeze. "Is someone coming to pick you up?"

Jamie nodded again. "My husband, David. He should be here soon."

Emily returned the nod and then rose back to her feet. "If you can think of anything else, Jamie, or even just want to talk, my number is on this card." She handed it over to the distraught woman and then gave her one last smile before she began to walk away.

But then a question from Jamie stopped her mid-stride.

"Where's Rigley?"

Emily turned back to her. "Who?"

"Rigley. He's Torri's guide dog," she hoarsely explained. "I, uh, I didn't see him in the house."

"I don't think we've found him yet," Emily told her, "But I'll check, ok?" Jamie nodded and Emily started towards JJ and the media frenzy once more.

She was a few feet from the blonde woman when pulled her cell off of her belt and dialed Hotch. It rang once and then he answered. "Is the dog inside?" she immediately asked, cutting right to the chase.

There was a pause on the other end and then Hotch replied with, "He's not in here. Morgan is checking out back."

"Ok, I'll take a look around out fron–" She suddenly stopped short when she saw something move in the trees across the street from the house. She stared, waited, and then suddenly what looked some sort of German Shepherd stepped out into the road.

Her silence continued until Hotch's voice finally brought her attention back to him. "Prentiss?"

Emily blinked. "Uh, any chance you could give me a description of the dog?"

Hotch was quiet for a second and then said, "If it's the dog in victim's photos, it looks like a German Shepherd. Or some sort of German Shepherd mix. It has a more silver and black coat than the classic black and tan."

"It's a silver sable," Emily heard Reid say in the background.

"Did you get that?" Hotch asked, referring to Reid's comment.

Emily nodded despite the fact that the man couldn't see. She wasn't taking her eyes off of the dog. "Yeah." She watched as the Shepherd started toward the crowd, looking anxious and unsure. She grew silent again.

"Prentiss?" Hotch prodded again. "Something we should know?"

"I think we found our missing dog," she stated.

TO BE CONTINUED!

---

(A/N: Ok, I know this is UBER short, but there is more to come very soon! And yes, that JJness is coming soon, too!...In the next chapter! Everyone cheer! –listens to round of cheers– WOO! And now, let us partake is cookies, for cookies are wonderful. CLICKY CLICKY!)


	4. Won't Get Fooled Again

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Criminal Minds peeps. (If I did, I'd give JJ more to do…) I'm just playing with them.

**SHOUT OUTS!**

_Mellow girl_ – Aww, thanks! Normally I would have had JJ talking/comforting the witness, but decided that she'd be dealing with the media. And we've all seen how well Emily tends to handle witnesses as well, so I thought it would be fitting. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

_Miss Waffles_ – Just wait and see, my dear! The dog's relevance will become very clear in upcoming chapters. Hehehe. Oh, and YAAAAAAY for JJcentric fic inspiration! God knows we need more JJ stories! I REALLY look forward to see what you come up with, and maybe we can get together some time and write a fic together! –hugs–

_tearbos_ – hahaha, you'll see!

_Roma81_ – HOORAY for another JJ fan!! Hope you weren't waiting too long!

_Vince_ – Yeah, clueless to the quote. ROFL! It's not Wrigley's gum! Hehe! Originally I was going to call him something like Bruin or Ripley, but then figured those sounded too fierce for a guide dog. LOL! So I ended up with Rigley somehow. –shrugs–

---

CHAPTER 4

"I promise as soon as we know anything, we will let you know," JJ tried, doing her best to keep her frustration off of her face. For a town with under 800 people, they sure had a lot of media stations that seemed to want a piece of the story. Yes, sure, some had come from different towns and cities that surrounded Walden, but still, it seemed a little excessive.

They had grilled her on everything from details of the murder to why a homicide in a place as small as Walden would get the attention of the FBI. She, of course, gave the standard answers, just enough to hopefully satisfy them without actually giving away any vital information about the case.

She glanced over at Emily to see her on the phone. She wondered briefly who she was talking to. Maybe Garcia.

She was about to turn attention back to the media frenzy when she suddenly noticed the brunette's intense stare. JJ followed Emily's gaze and felt her stomach take a violent drop. Her blue eyes met the dog's dark almond ones and she suddenly felt as if she couldn't breathe. The dog had blood dripping from his jowls and matting the fur down his the front of his neck. He licked his lips.

JJ's mind instantly flashed back to the dogs in Tobias Henkel's barn and the now-healed bite wounds from the animals began to throb with phantom pain. Her hand instinctively sought out her weapon at her side and began to pull it out.

"You found the dog?" Hotch asked Emily over the phone.

"Yes," she answered, keeping her eyes on the animal.

"Is he alive?"

Emily opened her mouth to reply when movement to her left caught her attention. She turned her head just in time to see JJ pulling her gun out of her holster, hands shaking and eyes glued on the dog. "Not for long," she replied quickly before dropping the phone from her ear and to her side, yelling, "JJ!"

---

Hotch whipped his head over in Reid's direction. They both had heard Prentiss' yell over the phone and in silent agreement, quickly headed back out the front door. Morgan, who must have heard Emily as well, was jogging around the side of the house. They all made for the crime scene tape.

"JJ! _JJ!!_" Emily had crossed the distance between them just in time to push the blonde's rising arms down before she could aim and shoot the dog. She placed herself between the two of them, holding tightly onto JJ's hands and the gun. "JJ, look at me. _Look at me_." The younger woman finally complied, dragging her eyes from the dog to meet Emily's.

Prentiss could feel JJ's hands shaking and her heart ached for her friend, but they just couldn't do this in front of a bunch of cameras. How was it going to make the FBI look? How was it going to make JJ look to the FBI? All in all, raising a gun at a dog and potentially shooting it on camera was definitely something they wanted to do.

"Let go of your gun," Emily said very quietly. The amount of unrestrained fear in JJ's bright blue eyes was scaring Prentiss, but they would have to deal with that later. Right now they had to cool this situation down. "It's not them, JJ. They're not after you. Now please, JJ, let go of the gun."

Blinking several times, JJ finally seemed to take in what the other woman was saying and slowly let go of her gun. She stood stock-still and just watched as Emily tucked the gun into the back of her pants and then gently took JJ by the forearm, leading her away from all the cameras.

By then Hotch, Morgan, and Reid had arrived. They had seen the exchange between the two women and after taking a look at the dog, it most certainly didn't take a genius to figure out what exactly had happened. "Are you ok?" Reid instantly asked JJ once she was close enough.

The blonde looked from him to Hotch and then back again. "Fine," she replied, doing her best to slip back up that wall of professionalism she constantly wore. "I was just startled."

Hotch's eyes met Emily's and everything that needed to be said was silently conveyed in that single look, a look that said everything was fine now, but they would talk about it later. He turned his attention to the dog. "We need to catch him," he stated.

"I didn't exactly bring a leash with me," Morgan commented, watching as the poor dog shifted listlessly from one foreleg to the other.

"We could use my shoulder strap for my laptop bag," Emily offered with a shrug. "It clips on and off, and the dog is wearing a collar."

Hotch nodded. "Get it."

Emily disappeared into the second SUV for a few moments before she returned with the strap. "It might be better if you let me try to catch him as he probably trusts women more given his owner was one," she suggested.

"Alright, but be careful. He looks pretty traumatized."

Prentiss nodded and then slipped on a pair of latex gloves. The dog had blood on him and as she slowly approached him, it looked like a gunshot wound as well. The gloves would help protect and contain any evidence on him for later processing.

"Hi Rigley," she cooed softly. "Come here, boy. I'm not going to hurt you. It's ok." Her voice was soothing, but the dog didn't seem to be buying it. With each step she took toward him, he'd take a limping step back. "Come on, Rigley. Come on." She had almost reached him when he suddenly darted past her and headed toward the rest of the team.

JJ's eyes grew wide and she quickly took a step back, half-stumbling into Reid. She felt his hand on the small of her back, both to steady her and perhaps try to give her some sort of comfort, but the latter wasn't working so well. It was taking everything she had not to make a mad dash to one of the SUVs and hide. She knew her fear was irrational and that she needed to get over it, but she just…couldn't.

Rigley half trotted, half limped up to the team, stopping right in front of them. He seemed to consider each of them individually before his eyes settled on JJ. He let out a sharp bark, making her nearly jump out of her skin, and then took another step toward her.

JJ was at the point where she had nearly almost completely lost all nerve when the dog suddenly just sat down in front of her and let his big tongue flop out the side of his mouth. She swallowed, unable to stop herself from staring at his teeth. His posture wasn't aggressive, but the blonde couldn't help but picture the growling face of Henkel's dogs.

Emily approached the team, making sure to come in from the side so not to startle the dog. Rigley glanced at her, but didn't seem to care that she was there now. She moved up to him, stroking the top of his head gentle before she clipped her strap onto his collar. "Good boy," she said softly before looking up at Hotch. "I assume this is our dog?"

"Yeah, that would be him," Morgan answered for him, crouching down beside the German Shepherd, but not touching him. He glanced up at Emily. "What'd you say his name was?"

"Jamie Clancy told me it was Rigley."

Morgan nodded. "Hey there, big guy," he said to the Rigley, his eyes looking over every visible part of the dog. He pointed to his bloody wound that streaked across the dog's left shoulder. "Looks like our killer got a piece of him after all." He leaned in for a closer look, but still didn't touch the animal. "The bullet is lodged just under the skin," he stated, motioning to a lump at the tail end of the wound.

"Well, let's hope Rigley got a piece of killer in return," Hotch said. If they had been right about the blood pattern in the house and the dog _had_ managed to bite the unsub, he would undoubtedly have DNA and possibly other evidence on him. "We need to get him processed."

TO BE CONTINUED!

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(A/N: I was having a total "Horatio Caine" moment at the end there with Morgan and Hotch. I just needed to have Hotch slip on sunglasses and then cue the _CSI: Miami_ theme song and it would have been perfect. …Buuuu-ut, I digress. Thanks for reading this chapter! More to come very soon! And as always, CLICKY CLICKY!)


	5. Silent Suffering?

_Disclaimer_ Don't own 'em. Just playin' with 'em.

**SHOUT OUTS!**

_tearbos_ – HEHE I'm glad you found the Horatio Caine moment amusing. I certainly did! And yeah, of COURSE, the dog would choose her. It wouldn't be a JJCentric _Criminal Minds_ story if he didn't! LOL! Thanks for reviewing and staying with the story despite its slow pace! You rock! –hugs–

_Mellow girl_ – I'm glad you liked the chapter and that you've stuck with the story. It means so much to me, and I promise that it gets better! –huggles–

_Miss Waffles_ – MUAHAHAHA! Just wait, my dear, it gets a lot better. And you're getting on track with Rigley, but I've still got a few twists to throw in. –wink– I'll hit you up in a private message so we can get together and throw story ideas back and forth, if you want, of course! Hehe!

_TenshiNanashi_ – TOTAL wicked witch complex! You definitely got that right! LOL! Thanks for the review!

_elle_ – Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're lovin' the story! And I know! Apart from the little bit in "Revelations" where JJ freaks out for a second and pulls her gun on Emily, they never even mentioned what happened to her. I know when I saw my friend attacked by a dog (the thing took four chunks out of her head!), I was petrified of them for years. I've since gotten over it and I'm obsessed with them now, but still. It hasn't been years and I think JJ would still be at least a little freaked around dogs, especially ones that look like the ones that attacked her. (I did that on purpose, of course! A silver sable German Shepherd looks very similar to the dogs in "The Big Game" and "Revelations", hehe.) Ok, yes, rambling is now over. Thanks again!

_Vince_ – Yes, Vince, that's EXACTLY why I had Rigley went up to JJ…because she's a hot blonde. LOL! You're such a dork. And yes, well done with the theme song. –shakes head– Did I mention you're a dork? Oh, and… "I am BEOWULF!!"

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CHAPTER 5

Hotch took a breath and then glanced around. "Alright," he began, "Prentiss, I want you to get with Agent Demel and head back to the lab in Denver to have the dog processed."

The brunette nodded.

JJ looked visibly relieved that she hadn't been ordered to go with Emily and the dog. Any distance she could put between herself and the animal, she would gladly take. She knew logically that she there was nothing to be afraid of, that this dog was a guide dog and nothing even akin to Henkel's dogs, but she just couldn't seem to get the image of that one beast bearing his teeth at her, eyes as vicious as his bite. If she hadn't have held on to her gun when he had lunged at her and knocked her over, she had no doubt in her mind that he and the other two would have torn her to pieces. She wouldn't have had a chance.

"I want to take another look inside before we head back to Denver, too," he continued. "I want to know how this guy got in and out in the middle of the day without being seen. Reid, you're with me. Morgan, I want you to take a look around outside, see if anything stands out." He finally turned to the young blonde. "JJ, I want you to get on the phone with Garcia and fill her in, see if she can find any connections between all of these victims besides the obvious."

"You got it," JJ replied with a nod, automatically pulling out her cell.

"Alright, boy," Emily began, speaking gently to the dog, "How about we get you into the car and to someone who can take care of you?" She gently pulled at his collar, but he wouldn't budge. "Come on, big guy. It's ok." There was still no response. Rigley continued to keep his eyes on JJ.

JJ looked from her phone to the dog and frowned, finding him more than a little unnerving, especially that stare. "Um, yeah. I'll see you later, Emily." She gave a half-wave before speed-dialing Garcia as she began to walk away.

As soon as the blonde began to walk away, Rigley suddenly got up and began limping after her. JJ stopped in the middle of talking to the plucky technical analyst to glance over her shoulder. Her eyes widened slightly as she realized the damn thing was following her.

"No, no, Rigley. This way," Emily said, trying to pull the dog in the other direction, but he wasn't having it. "Come on, Rigley. Come on," she continued to try, but the further JJ walked away, the further he followed.

"Uh, JJ, I think he likes you," Prentiss commented somewhat awkwardly. She could tell that the other woman did not like the sound of that.

"Garcia, let me call you back," JJ said reluctantly into the phone before hanging up. She stopped walking, her back still to Emily and the dog. She took a deep breath and then turned around. "Can't you just pull him to the car?" she asked with an edge of desperation in her voice.

Emily frowned slightly. "It didn't look like I was trying? This guy is strong."

JJ breathed out a heavy breath and ran her hand up and down her left arm, trying to rub out the phantom pain that continued to ebb there. "What do you want me to do?" she asked.

"I don't know. He seems content to follow you. Walk to the car so I can get him in?" Emily suggested with a slight shrug.

JJ glanced at the dog quickly before finally nodded. "Ok, ok, let's go." She started toward the first SUV. Agent Demel was already there waiting, the back open along with the first aid kit.

Rigley followed JJ as closely as he could until they got to the car. Agent Demel then gently hoisted the dog into the back. She used some gauze pads to cover his wound and then taped it down, hoping it would hold until they got back to Denver. She also had laid out some rescue blankets for him to lie down on for the trip. She just hoped he'd stay still. "Back, boy," she said, closing the hatch before turning to Emily and JJ. "Ok, I think we're ready to go."

Both women nodded, but as soon as JJ started to walk away, Rigley started barking up a storm and scratching on the window as if he desperately wanted to get out.

Emily frowned and instinctively placed her hand on the window where he was. "It's ok, buddy. We're gonna take you somewhere nice. You'll be ok." Her soothing words did nothing to calm him though. He still continued to freak out the further JJ went away.

Reid and Morgan had gone to do what Hotch had asked of them, but the man himself had stayed outside after first seeing that the dog wouldn't move for Emily. He was going to offer his help when Rigley started following JJ. He watched on, somewhat perplexed. Reading people was one thing, but animals were completely different. He could only speculate as to why this dog seemed to like JJ after only knowing her for a few minutes. They said dogs could sense things like fear and the like, so why form an attachment to someone who had an obvious distaste for him?

Realizing how difficult the dog would most likely be for Agent Demel and Emily, he stopped JJ once she was a few more feet away from the car and said, "On second thought, you can make that call to Garcia on the way back to Denver with Prentiss and Agent Demel." He could tell by the look on the young blonde's face that she was about to protest, but he cut her off before she could. "You've done all you can with the media for now and the rest of us can handle the scene. I want you to go back to the CBI headquarters and start working things up, ok?"

JJ still looked like she was going to protest, but to her credit, she didn't. She simply nodded and said, "Yes, sir." Truth be told, the media presence _had_ thinned out quite a bit since their arrival and there really was no point of her staying there. She just really didn't want to ride in the car with the dog and she was absolutely positive that Hotch knew that. How could he not?

And yet, here she was walking back to the SUV with the crazed dog in the back. Demel had climbed into the driver's seat and Emily, seemingly having had the foresight to know what Hotch was going to do, was kind enough to get in the backseat so that JJ could sit up front.

Opening the door and glancing cautiously toward the back, the blonde climbed into the SUV with the rest of the women and buckled her seatbelt. Rigley barked one more time and then to JJ's surprise, and relief, he grew silent and then settled down for the long drive back to Denver.

Emily carefully watched JJ from the backseat, observing her in an almost clinical sort of way. She knew from the moment that she and Morgan had found JJ in Henkel's barn, with her left arm torn up and three dead dogs lying about, that the younger woman had gone through a serious ordeal. And then JJ had put herself through so much guilt over Reid's kidnapping and torture that she hadn't even bothered to correct anyone when they had blamed her for not sticking with Reid when it had actually been _him_ who had left _her_. And it was absolutely obvious despite JJ's near- unwavering poise, determined attitude, and professional demeanor, that the woman was far from over from that horrifying experience.

Prentiss had never seen JJ back down from anything. She could talk to a room of filled with cameras and people, console broken families, stand face-to-face with black-hearted killers and she didn't bat an eye, but this…this was different. The woman actually looked scared to death right now. To the outside observer, it might not have looked exactly like that, but to Emily, well, she could literally see the fear in JJ's piercing blue eyes. And it was more than a little frightening.

Could it be PTSD, Emily wondered. It was certainly possible. Everyone had been so concerned about Reid that they seemed to completely forget that JJ had gone through something terrible as well. All of their focus had been on getting Spencer back, and then after that, it had been about his recovery. No one had even bothered to really check in on JJ and see how she was doing, and for that, Emily was more than a little ashamed. She was a profiler and she was supposed to be able to read people. That's what she and the team did. They were the Behavioral Analyst Unit, for God's sake, and yet they had somehow managed to let JJ's silent suffering slip by unnoticed.

Or maybe it was noticed. Hotch certainly seemed to be in-tuned with it to some extent; yet he just stood back and watched it happen. Did he expect JJ to come to him about it? Reid hadn't, and JJ seemed even less likely to open up about something of such a personnel nature.

To Emily it appeared almost as if JJ felt if she let anyone inside that wall she had taken so long learning to put up, it would all simply crash down around her and then she'd be left completely vulnerable. Now, JJ had openly stated that she had "tough skin" and seemed to be rather proud of it as it served her well when it came to being a media liaison and just a woman in general, but for some reason, Emily got the feeling that JJ used the front a lot more than the average person. Sure, the young blonde didn't exactly have an _average_ job and it _did_ call for an extra degree of emotional and mental strength, but it was almost as if JJ _never_ let that wall down at all, never took a breath, a break, never _relaxed_.

Now, this didn't at all mean that she couldn't relate to people. She proved on a daily basis that she was an extremely compassionate person such as when dealing with victims and families of victims. And she was also a very sweet, caring, and funny person, but it seemed all a little superficial. At least that's what Emily thought. There were occasions when the girls would go out to have a good time and even then, JJ still seemed to keep that wall up.

It was a defense mechanism. Emily knew that. She just wished for once that her friend would let someone in, that JJ would actually release some of those pent up emotions before they overtook her, making her do something she would definitely regret.

TO BE CONTINUED!

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(A/N: God, I think I just psychoanalyzed myself into a coma. I'm sure I repeated a lot of the same stuff, too, so please forgive me. I wrote the second half of this chapter while on a plane to Missouri from Florida. I was listening to depressing music so it made me feel like delving deeper into JJ's psyche, and Emily's thoughts on the matter. Feel free to throw squishy fruit or slightly dead, mutated cows at me if I bored you out of your mind! If I didn't bore you or drive you insane, feel free to throw money. Money is welcome. _Always_. Or just review. That'd be awesome, too. So yes, CLICKY CLICKY! Love to all!)


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